Hugh Edwards and the Train Awards Scandal!!
There has been a lot of bad press about Tory MP’s this week. Second jobs in The British Virgin Islands, paid lobbying on behalf of Covid contractors, and an attempt to rip up the standards bill to protect Owen Paterson. Yet, whilst the media outlets have been all over this like a rash caused by an ill-fitting Burton suit, The Telegraph have been working on stories that really count. This week, whilst other national newspapers concentrated ...
A Taste of Portugal…In Andover!
I had to go into Andover today. It’s not the most attractive of towns but my friend John had told me about this little place (pictured). It’s a Portuguese bar, café, and shop, selling produce only from Portugal. It even had Portuguese TV on the screen on the wall. You can get a nice coffee, a glass of wine, or a pint of Sagres. I wish there were more little places like this. It can, albeit briefly, make you feel like you are on ...
Johnson’s Gamble that Backfired
If anyone was still in denial about the level of corruption at the heart of government, they shouldn’t be now. It was ruled that Owen Paterson had broken the code of conduct when he lobbied ministers at the Department for International Trade and officials at the Food Standards Agency (FSA). This was carried out on behalf of two companies. For this lobbying, he was paid £100,000 a year by the healthcare company Randox and £12,000 by ...
Pomp, Ceremony & Graduation
I went to my son’s graduation last night. It was not something I have experienced before, so I was not sure what to expect. The drive down to Bournemouth on a dark Monday evening was straightforward, apart from a bit of a standard Bob Lethaby debacle with the parking. In the Reception I eventually arrived at the BIC fully armed with my ticket and negative Covid-19 test, only to be asked for neither. I stood around, feeling a little lost ...
Caring for the Environment – That’s for Snowflakes
When I was out and about in the northern countryside last week, a Twitter shitstorm was kicking off, quite literally. It was all to do with water companies pumping raw sewage into Britain’s coastlines and rivers. Amendment & U-Turns In case you hadn’t noticed, it was all about an amendment in the Environment Bill. It was put forward by the Duke of Wellington, no less. The amendment was, on paper, a reasonable one. It was to ...